The 10 Korean Universities With the Most Vietnamese Students - And Why No One Campus Dominates

The number of Vietnamese students in South Korea reached 108,099 in the second half of 2025. According to international student management data from the Korea Immigration Service under the Korea Ministry of Justice (as of December 31, 2025), Vietnam is the single largest country of origin among foreign students in South Korea. By gender, there were 52,713 male students and 55,386 female students, a slight female majority. For Vietnamese students and parents weighing study abroad, the most practical question is usually a simple one: which universities already have the most Vietnamese students? This data draws that map.

Here are the top 10 Korean universities with the most Vietnamese students.

1. Seojeong College (서정대학교) - 2,545 students (2.35% of the total) 2. Keimyung University (계명대학교) - 1,931 students (1.79%) 3. Gachon University (가천대학교) - 1,832 students (1.69%) 4. Daeshin University (대신대학교) - 1,819 students (1.68%) 5. Hannam University (한남대학교) - 1,578 students (1.46%) 6. Daejeon Institute of Science and Technology (대전과학기술대학교) - 1,402 students (1.30%) 7. Gangneung Yeongdong College (강릉영동대학교) - 1,374 students (1.27%) 8. Daegu Haany University (대구한의대학교) - 1,226 students (1.13%) 9. Dongguk University (동국대학교) - 1,222 students (1.13%) 10. Namseoul University (남서울대학교) - 1,164 students (1.08%)

The first thing that stands out is how small the leader's share is. Even Seojeong College, the single largest host of Vietnamese students, accounts for just 2.35% of the total. Add up all 10 universities and the figure comes to 16,093 students - only about 14.9% of the full 108,099. In other words, more than 85% of Vietnamese students are spread across the many universities that fall outside the top 10. Unlike students from some other countries, such as China, who tend to cluster at a handful of elite institutions, Vietnamese students are distributed broadly across campuses nationwide. That suggests admission to one specific university is not what makes or breaks a study-abroad plan - the range of options is unusually wide.

A second pattern: the top 10 is not weighted toward one type of school. Junior (vocational) colleges such as Seojeong College, Daejeon Institute of Science and Technology and Gangneung Yeongdong College sit alongside four-year universities such as Keimyung, Gachon, Hannam, Dongguk and Namseoul. In other words, it is not only degree-focused four-year institutions but also junior colleges with strong ties to hands-on training and employment that serve as major destinations for Vietnamese students. The right fit can differ depending on whether a student's goal is academic research or a fast track into the workforce.

A third pattern is the clear presence of regional hubs. In the Daejeon area, Hannam University (No. 5) and Daejeon Institute of Science and Technology (No. 6) both made the top 10, while in the Daegu and North Gyeongsang region, Keimyung University (No. 2) and Daegu Haany University (No. 8) hold places. Rather than being concentrated entirely in the Seoul metropolitan area, universities in regional anchor cities such as Daejeon and Daegu carry substantial weight in attracting Vietnamese students. For students and parents who also factor in living costs and settling-in conditions, this regional distribution is a meaningful reference point.

A fourth pattern is the makeup of residence status. Of the 108,099 total, 54,535 are on degree-program (D-2) status and 53,564 are on language-training (D-4) status - very nearly an even split. This balance between degree programs and language training is a hallmark of Vietnamese study in Korea, showing that the share of language-training students among Vietnamese is unusually high. It points to a widely used stepwise path: building Korean-language ability first, then moving on to a degree program.

A methodological caveat applies. These figures count students who are "currently residing" in Korea under Korea Immigration Service statistics, broken down by residence status, with school attribution based on registration records. They reflect enrolled students, not new visa issuance (certificates of visa eligibility). The source is the international student management data of the Korea Immigration Service under the Korea Ministry of Justice (Public Data Portal, data.go.kr, dataset 3069982), as of the second half of 2025 (reference date December 31, 2025), used under Korea Open Government License (KOGL) Type 1.